Create a multimedia PDF newsletter

Everyone has a portfolio website, a blog and a MySpace page these days, but not everyone's got a PDF newsletter with and video. It's good to stand out.

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As a freelancer, the one thing that's important is everything. Any way you can think of to reinforce your own brand and/or outlook is an avenue that's worth pursuing. And even as you gain experience, clients and (with luck) praise, you can still never do enough. Keeping your clients up to date with what else you've been doing is imperative if you want to keep those contacts relevant.

In its most simple form, keeping everyone up to date involves sending the occasional email about your latest work. And there's nothing wrong with that no-frills method, but if you're just starting out, you really need to do more to grab their attention.

A multimedia PDF incorporating Flash and video is a great way to do this, because the possibilities are endless. And when your clients have got a few moments to catch up on their downloaded emails, and there's no wireless connection to be found, it means that you're still reinforcing your brand: you.

We've positioned this tutorial as if it's a newsletter from a (fictional) illustration and animation duo. But like a free runner surveying the urban landscape for possible acrobatic routes, you can easily manipulate the techniques and technology demonstrated here for your own ends.

You'll need Adobe Acrobat 7.0 Professional to create your multimedia PDF, along with Photoshop, Flash and any other video and graphic creation software you'd care to incorporate.